BOULDER — Companies preparing to drill for oil and gas in unincorporated Boulder County would face a new set of county review procedures, expectations and conditions, under a proposed set of revisions to the county Land Use Code’s provisions about oil and gas development.

By John Fryar Longmont Times-Calltimes.com

Boulder County officials said in a statement that the staff-suggested draft of those regulations — unveiled online Monday evening — are designed to work within
the county’s authority to adopt local rules “that harmonize
with state regulations” about oil and gas exploration while enacting “the most protective land use regulations possible for new oil and gas development.”

The proposed Land Use Code changes address such topics as avoiding or mitigating potential negative impacts that oil and gas exploration and production could have on air and water quality, county roads, the environment, and public health and safety. They would update a 19-year-old set of rules the county enacted during a previous spurt of oil and gas development, officials said.